Friday, April 14, 2017

New York Is Considering 'Genetic Stop And Frisk' DNA Testing Policy




A State panel of scientists is considering a controversial DNA testing policy that would allow police to investigate the relatives of New Yorkers whose DNA closely matches DNA recovered from a crime scene.

The 'familial searching' method got a strong endorsement from the Queens District Attorney last summer, when police failed to find an exact match for DNA recovered from Karina Vetrano, a Queens woman who was murdered while out on a jog in Howard Beach. "This technology has proven effective at generating important DNA investigative leads in cold cases," said Queens DA Richard Brown. "We have an obligation to use every means at our disposal to identify the murderer."

But legal services organizations have countered that a board of scientists is not qualified to approve a method with serious implications for how New York polices low-income communities of color. 

Click here for the full article.

Source: Gothamist (via The Empire Report) 

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